Flying machine more particularly applicable to fighting machines



Nom 4 1924.

' G. DELAGE `FLYING MACHINE MORE PAHTICULARLY APPLICABLE To FIGHTING MACHINES Filed April l. 192s Patented Nov. 4, 1924i.,

NETE@ STATES PATENT' @FFHCEO isiaiaa GUSTVE DELAGE, PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO SOCIT ANONYME: `N'IE'CJ'PORT ASTRA, OF ISSY-LES-MO'ULINEAUX, FRANCE, A CORPORATION .OF FRANCE'.

FLYING MAOHIN E MORE PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO FIGHTING MACHINES.

Appication filed April 19, 1923. Serial No. 633,269.

.To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GUsTAvE DELAGE, a citizen of the French Republic, residing at 45 Rue Spontini, Paris, France, have invented new and useful Improvements in Flving Machines More Particularly Applicable to Fighting Machines, of which the following is the specication.

The present invention has for its object improvements in flying machines having a tractor propeller at the front. These improvements are characterized in that the seat of the pilot is arranged between the engine and the propeller, in front of the lead- 5 ing edge'of the wings. This arrangement which is more particularly applicable to lighting machines permits to increase the field of visibility of the pilot at the front, that is to say in the direction of the attack 0 and allows of arranging'between the engine and the propeller a firearm of large caliber firing through the hub of the latter. Other advantages resulting from this arrangement will be indicated in the following description which is illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 shows in side elevation and partial sections an improved fighting machine in flight, according to the present invention.

*ig. 2 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, along the aXis of the propeller hub and showing its driving reducing device.

The pilots cock-pit is placed in the front part of the fuselage between the enginel and the propeller 2. The engine 1 is arranged below the wings 3 and rests upon an internal rib of the fuselage so that the distribution ofithe loads is effected in such a 'manner that the pilot can place himself in front of the leading edges 31 of the wings 3, and that. his visibility in the direction of advance of the machine is total.

y The engine engages with the propeller through the medium of an auxiliary shaft 4 which can be arranged parallel with the axis of rotation of the propeller, but which preferably drives the latter through' the medium of a gear reducing device allowing the tubular propeller shaft 5 completely disengaged so that the barrel 6 of a firearm of large caliber or of a machine gun may be arranged through the bore thereof thus doing away with the synchronization mechanism necessary for firing through the propeller. The reducing device can be of any suitable design; while two Cardan or universal joints are arranged at the points of junction 8 and 9 of the intermediate shaft 4f with the engine and the reducing device.

The reducer preferably comprises a casing 10 constructed in two parts assembled along the vertical plane, each of these parts 10 having lateral supports 11 for mounting' on the forward portion of the fuselage. The case is also provided with superposed bores or bearings the axes of which are parallel. The receiver bore is provided with roller bearings for the shaft 13 of a pinion 14 said shaft also carrying one of the elements of the universal joint 9. -The other bore is fitted with roller bearings 15 and receives the hollow shaft 5,v the interior of said shaft i being of course engaged with the interior of the lire arm. This bearing 5 carries thereon by means of a key the second pinion 16 of the reducer which engages with the pinion 14 for completing the transmission of the movement. A dou'ble thrust ball bearing 7 supports the thrust of the propeller. It will be seen in view Iof the foregoing devices that should the ribs become deformed or should the fuselage become otherwise distorted and the motor drops, the intermediate shaft 4 is arranged at an inclined position without effecting a pull on the shaft 5. In other words the reducer is not subjected to any course which would tend to change the position of the same especially the shaft 5 which would have a Vtend- .ency to interfere with the use of the gun the fire arm is arranged, a reducer mounted in the fuselage beneatliand operably connectod with thev rpropeller shaft, an inte1" mediate shaft having its'ends universally connected with 'the-reducer shaft and the engine shaft o for transmitting movement from the engine to the reducerl and at the Same time maintaining the propeller shaft in propervv position evenfwhen thel fuselage GUSTAVE DELAGE. 'K 

